Passively Pro-Choice: How Sin Kills the Pro-Life Mission

Christians talk a lot about sexual purity. We talk a lot about being pro-life. Yet we’ve ignored the chasm of understanding between these two issues – issues that are integrally connected not just in reality, but in our spiritual lives. We brandish our “pro-life” monikers as if it’s a given – we’re Christians, after all! – yet fail to understand what sanctity of life looks like day-to-day.

The truth is this: “Pro-life” is not just a political viewpoint. It is a lifestyle.

And the other truth is this: you can’t be truly pro-life and engaged in sexual sin.

How can we claim to uphold the sanctity of life when we simultaneously defile our lives and others’ with our eyes and bodies? How can we claim to be “pro-life” when we engage daily in spiritual death?

We can’t.

If we believe in the sanctity of life – that every human being is an image bearer of God – we have to embrace the connection between the intrinsic value of the unborn and the intrinsic value of the porn star. Both were created in the image of God. Both have sanctity of life. When Christians engage in sexual sin as a habit, they’ve relegated their “pro-life-ness” to a world outside themselves, never letting it influence their walk with God.

The babies being aborted in this nation are largely conceived in extramarital sex. Before we, as Christians, argue about pro-life issues on social media, we need to ask ourselves: “Am I so pro-life that I am honoring the sanctity of my own life, including the sanctity of my sexuality?” It is hypocritical to condemn women for pursuing abortions while simultaneously living in sexual sin. Yes, abortion is wrong because it ends a sacred life. Yet ALL sin is wrong because is dishonors a sacred life and separates us from God.

Your purity preaches the gospel louder than anything you say or type. Honor God with your body. Uphold his design for sexuality. Then love those who have transgressed it, and love the babies born from it, with the same grace that Jesus offers to all of us.

This applies to more than unrepentant pornography use. It applies to those disregarding purity in their dating relationships. It applies to those who allow sexual sin to characterize their lifestyle. It applies to self-indulgent believers, “dead even as they live” (1 Tim. 5:6). These lives are white-washed tombs: monuments to the social values of life, freedom, and godliness – yet filled with skeletons instead of the Spirit of God (Matt. 23:29).

Our purity preaches the gospel. We can tell our Facebook friends just how “pro-life” we are; we can march, protest, comment, and argue, but unless our lives reveal the very sanctity we claim to defend, who are we to talk about being “pro-life”? Some might say God can use our words no matter what our lives look like. Certainly, God can redeem even hypocrisy for His glory. But more often than not, hypocrisy unnecessarily hinders the gospel’s advance.

This is not just a political issue. This is not just a government issue. This is a personal, spiritual issue, and it affects every one of us. We need to ask ourselves, “Am I more concerned with being on the right side of the political arena than in aligning my mind with God’s priorities?” Ultimately, we do become better citizens and wiser voters when we align ourselves with the wisdom of God. But governments come and go, laws are passed and struck down, and the Law- and Life-Giver remains. We best defend life when we walk in step with the Source of it.

Thus, being pro-life starts with being pro-Jesus, pro-surrender, and pro-sanctity as defined by God. Because without submission to His ultimate standard, there IS no ultimate standard.

Without God, there is no moral code outside of man’s own will.

That’s why you can’t be truly pro-life and engaged in sexual sin, because you can’t be “pro-life” and living according to your own moral code. When that happens, you’re really saying: “This is my moral code. I invented it. Sanctity of life applies to the unborn; it does not apply to me, to porn stars, or to my boyfriend. I decide which lives are sacred; I decide which lives I treat as such.”

I decide.

I decide what to do with my body.

I decide what to do with my eyes.

My body.

My choice.

Each time we engage in sexual sin, we’re a quiet voice for the pro-choice movement – whether or not that action ever results in an abortion.

In reality, all sin has the power to separate us from God. This separation is why Jesus bridged the gap for those who believe. So how can any believer every claim to be “pro-life”? By daily walking in the influence and power of God’s Holy Spirit. It is only by God’s grace that we have eternal life. It is only by God’s grace that we have this present life. But to live contentedly in spiritual death belies the same mission that propels Planned Parenthood: I determine right and wrong. I answer to no one but myself. I am the measure of morality.

Death does not begin on an abortion table. Death is a spiritual separation before it ever becomes a physical one; a separation that begins with sin, but doesn’t have to end there. There is hope, redemption, and grace for those who surrender to God’s design.

To be truly pro-life, we must walk in step with the Life-Giver. We must let Him breathe life into a dying sexuality; breathe life into a wandering heart. We must align ourselves with the holiness He offers through Christ and live it out with dedication. The pro-life movement must find its birth in our being: our character, the pattern of our thoughts, and the goal of our days.

Join the Community!

Enter your email to receive the Concise Guide to Biblical Sexuality! My subscribers receive weekly resources equipping them to live the gospel in work, love, and home. I look forward to knowing you better!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hello Phylicia,
I have read some of your other posts which are so positive, whereas this one is so negative.
Would you say that someone, who gets angry with the spouse or children has no right to speak out about domestic/ family violence?

Everyone has people they look up to eg sport heroes, mentors, apostles etc. in the same way we look down on others as lower than ourselves. This can be a group of people based on skin colour, intellectual or physical abilities etc. this leads to discrimination against groups of people which can lead to laws which deny basic human rights. In Australia, on 10 th August,1967, the Australian constitution was changed to allow Indigenous people the same rights as everyone else. Less than 2 and a half years later, my state, South Australia, took away human rights of children in the womb.
In my little state of less than 2 million people, the state has murdered more than 60,000 people in the time that Islamic State killed 33,000.
Worldwide 56.2 Million people die / year according to the world health organisation. This is from murder, disease, war, road deaths etc. Another 56million / year are murdered by abortion. How can this be? We have special words ( politically correct) to use so as people are not bullied but a special language is used about children to enable them to be bullied to death. Words like Foetus/fetus, pregnancy etc dehumanise the baby.
The portrayal by the abortion proponents is that pro life has a vendetta against women. Nothing could be further from the truth. The women suffer terribly from abortion, and those who work with women who have had abortions, stress that a woman who has been raped goes through a terrible trauma with the rape and then people want her to go through the terrible trauma of abortion.

I agree that we are fighting a Spiritual battle, and sin has no place in our lives if we are serious. I liked your statement in another post that we need to love Jesus more than we love our sin.
However, putting any conditions on loving anyone, especially innocent preborn children is distressing.
Would you say that someone, who gets angry with the spouse or children has no right to speak out about domestic/ family violence?
I feel that this is a similar argument and everyone needs to stand up for both causes (and others). It is not so hard, in the west, to get people to stand up against domestic/family violence. Saving babies from execution is a much more difficult task and there needs to be an appreciation of the person who is facing the death penalty in innocence.

Hey Brian, thanks for your thoughts! I think you’re reading an intent into this post that isn’t there, though. My point here is to take sin in our own lives as seriously as we battle out political issues on Facebook and etc. Too often I see Christians (whether or not they really are, they claim to be) be vocal about being “pro-life” while simultaneously living in a way that completely undermines the very heart of the pro-life movement. Does that mean we shouldn’t talk about it? Of course not! But we should ALL make sure our lives actually line up with what we say we believe. If someone is watching porn and then turns around and screams about the objectification of women – they’re part of the problem. The Spirit of God should influence our lives holistically. This is a call to be more serious about that, instead of simply saying words and sharing fb articles. We’ll make a difference in these areas by our personal holiness more than anything else.

Thank you for your reply, Phylicia.
I am pleased if you didn’t mean the article the way I took it.
The Faithit version had plenty of comments from abortion advocates who took the article as a springboard for the hate language about babies.

I usually really love and respect your posts, I love the Christian feminist perspective you offer and though I understand what you’re saying here I have to also gently tell you I don’t entirely agree. Normally, when I disagree with someone I wouldn’t even bother saying it but I know your intention behind this was good- so here goes!

I got pregnant at 21. I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember the party, I don’t remember taking off my clothing or willingly getting into bed with someone I was not at all attracted to. What I can tell you for sure is I was not ever a big drinker, had never in my life drank to the point of passing out and did not sleep around (But admittedly- not a virgin). I kept the baby because I am pro-life. I felt forced to marry the father to rectify my sin. I love my son and I would never have changed a thing but the marriage was a nightmare and many years later in counselling, I realized it was very likely someone slipped something in my drink and I had been taken advantage of.

I tell you this because no one looking at me, 21 and pregnant, would have known that story. In fact, most of my closest friends don’t know the whole story. I was so judged. I felt so much shame I couldn’t proudly push my beautiful baby boy down the sidewalk in his stroller because I could feel the judging eyes burning into me. “Sinner”. “Promiscuous”. “Easy”. “And I thought she was a Christian”.

Of course, I have to take some blame. I shouldn’t have been at the party. I should have made better decisions that led me up to that point in my life where I was even at a party but none of that ever made me any less saved. Just as someone’s sin would never make them any less pro-life.

Keeping a baby, when everyone knows you’re a “sinner” is one of the hardest things a young woman can face. The judgement is enough to make you switch over to being “pro-choice” because you feel like you have no choice at all.

So, I respectfully disagree with you because I was a sexually immoral, pro-life believer whose pro-life movement, “Found its birth” in my character, my thoughts, and my “goals” when life took an unexpected turn.

This post is more directed at Christians who willingly live in sexual sin without any consideration for what being pro-life really means. It doesn’t mean there isn’t hope or redemption, which I mention in the post. It’s a call to be truly pro-life in ALL we do, particularly for those who separate porn addictions, erotica addictions and mental sexual sin from their socio-political opinions. That’s the connection I’m trying to make here. Hope that gives some clarity.

This is overwhelming powerful. Your message is so simple, but true. It comes at a great time as I try to iron out my own beliefs on abortion. Don’t get me wrong – I am pro-life. I find that I often cannot speak the words in affirmation of the movement though, because I can empathize with the women’s fears and doubts. While highlighting verses that talk about what love is, it finally struck me why I hesitate. Abortion is a symptom, just like scandalous clothing choices. I’ve always been taught that ministry is the act of meeting needs. We’re so caught up in fighting it politically (which has its place) that I think we’ve overlooked aspects of the ministry. What is the need that drives women to abortion? How do we meet that need with God’s love instead?

Anyways, I feel like I am getting off topic of your original blog post. You were spot on with everything you said.

Exactly – the conversation around abortion is so angry, I find, and fails to address the heart of this issue. It also fails to grasp that there are REAL people, real women, involved in this story, and abortion is (I would guess) almost never an “easy” choice. Many of the outspoken feminists of our day have not actually experienced what it’s like to be in a position like this. If nothing else, Christians need to 1) exemplify purity and 2) show compassion. That will speak louder than any Facebook argument!

Wow! That’s powerful. What an interesting perspective – one I’d not heard before – but so true. And while sexuality is, as a sin, no worse than others, it’s unbelievable what a huge can of worms the enemy can work through this one thing. Thank you for having the courage to write this. I’ll have to think this one over more in depth.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

Welcome!

Overcomers gather here. I'm Phylicia, and I believe in abundant life, practically. In singleness or marriage, work or home, we don't have to live in defeat! Join me to learn how to apply God's Word and preach the gospel with your life. View Full Profile

ConvertKit Form

Live Lust Free!

My 7-day Lust Free Living email course helps women jump-start their journey to freedom. You'll get a week of practical, biblical advice straight to your inbox, and each day builds on the last, giving you the tools to defeat sexual sin and addiction.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

I'd like to receive the free email course. 100% privacy, and we won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.